The 2008 Symposium will be held in Nashville, TN at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel from November 7-9. This web page is a work in progress. Please check back every few weeks for new information, and please feel free to add your own!

There is a complimentary Airport Shuttle that runs from 7:00 am - 11:00 pm daily for those guests staying at the Millennium Maxwell House. There is a courtesy phone at the baggage claim area of the airport so individuals can call upon arrival. It normally takes the shuttle no more than 20 minutes.

For those of you arriving on Friday and not participating in the preconference
Tour of the historic Peabody Library at Vanderbilt
Friday November 7th, 3:00-3:45pm and 4:00pm-4:45pm
Contact: Lara Beth Lehman, (615) 322-8226, lb.lehman@vanderbilt.edu
Peabody Library Service desk: (615) 322-8098
Peabody Library Information & History
Directions:
-Turn right out of hotel onto Rosa Parks Blvd.
-At light at Rosa Parks & James Robertson Parkway, turn left onto James Robertson
-bear left, continue until you reach light at Church Street
-go through light and continue until you reach Broadway
-turn right onto Broadway
-Follow Broadway and bear left at light at Broadway & West End ave.
-Continue straight, Broadway becomes 21st Ave.
-Turn left at the light at 21st ave. & Edgehill Ave. (There is a Vanderbilt footbridge at the light)
-take the first, immediate right onto Magnolia Circle. Peabody Library is the 2nd building on the circle. There are red umbrellas on the patio. Park in the circle. Walk up the sidewalk and enter the library.
Lara Beth Lehman will greet you at the service desk area.

These FREE items will be made available to all registrants at the Symposium thanks to the sponsors -- a badgeholder from Scholastic and a sturdy bag from HarperTEEN.

Housing and Travel

Housing

Housing is now filled at the Millennium Maxwell House, Springhill Suites, and Courtyard marriott Downtown. However, there may have been cancellations, so it might be wise to call.

To reserve a room at the Courtyard, please call 615-256-0900 or 800-321-2211 to make reservations. You must ask for the AMERICAN LIBRARY block to receive the $139 rate.

To reserve a room at Springhill Suites, you must call 1-800-971-4761 and let them know you are part of the American Library Association Group Block. The rate is $109 for a single and $119 for a double.

If you're still looking for housing, post in the roommates area below or ask on a list like LM_Net or YALSA-BK. Another option is to try Hotels.com, Kayak or another aggregator and look for a place to stay in downtown Nashville.

Air Discounts on United

United Airlines is offering special meeting discounts for attendees of ALA conferences. Simply call the United Special Meeting Desk at 800-521-4041 and refer to Meeting ID Number 500CR to receive a 2-10% discount off applicable fares, including First Class. If you purchase your ticket at least 30 days prior to travel, you will receive an additional 5% discount. This special offer applies to travel on domestic segments of all United Airlines, United Express, TED and United code share flights (UA*) operated by US Airways, US Airways Express and Air Canada. There are no fees to use the 800 number. International attendees will receive a 10% discount off the lowest applicable fare (excluding First Class), or a 15% discount off the fully refundable, unrestricted coach fare when they call their local United Airlines reservation number and refer to meeting ID number 500CR. An additional 5% discount will apply when tickets are purchased at least 60 days in advance of your travel dates. Discounts apply to United and Lufthansa (code share) flights. You can also make your reservation online at www.united.com, using ALA promotion code 500CR (click on "More Search Options" to enter the code).

Shuttle

For those staying at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel

If you have a reservation at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, you can take the complimentary airport shuttle. The shuttle runs 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. When you arrive in Nashville, head down to baggage claim and take the escalator down to the transportation area. Exit out the doors in front of you and cross the street to the hotel shuttle area. Call the shuttle from the phone located in the small shelter to your left. When leaving, notify the front desk staff the night before your departure. The shuttle will take approximately 20 minutes.

Other Hotels

Staying elsewhere? ALA has contracted with Super Shuttle in Nashville to provide discounted shuttle rides to and from the airport for $16. When you arrive in Nashville, head to the Super Shuttle counter in the baggage claim area. After collecting your baggage, follow signs to Ground Transportation. SuperShuttle has a booth on the bottom/ground floor. Walk towards the glass exit doors and the Super Shuttle booth is on the left of the glass doors. Check in with the reservation agent and ask for the YALSA rate.

Downtown Shuttle

A shuttle will run between the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel and downtown Nashville Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The shuttle will drop and pick up at Broadway and Fifth Avenue.

Roommates

Looking for a roommate for the symposium? Leave a message looking for someone in this space. Please include your contact information!

Do you have a double room at the Millenium Maxwell House and wouldn't mind a roommate? I would really like to attend this event but need a place to rest my weary head at night. Please
e-mail me at kseufert@sjpl.lib.mo.us if you would not mind sharing your space. Thanks!

I don't need a roommate, but I am looking to share a ride after the conference. Will anyone be driving from Nashville to the Athens, GA area after the conference ends on Sunday, November 9th? I will share fuel costs and promise not to be a back seat driver...unless it is absolutely necessary, of course! ha ha Please send an email to apeters@jefferson.lib.co.us if you are interested. Thanks so much!

I am looking to be a roommate for some lucky person- Thursday and Friday night. Please email me at farris615@yahoo.com

Featured Authors

These authors will be participating in the 2008 Symposium:

The line-up is not yet complete, but here is a partial list of the authors (in alphabetical order) attending the 2008 Symposium. Click on their names to visit their websites:

Among the Hidden, 2000 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 1999 Best Books for Young Adults, 2003 Popular PaperbacksJust Ella, 2000 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2000 Best Books for Young Adults. 2005 Popular PaperbackAmong the Imposters, 2002 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult ReadersAmong the Betrayed, 2003 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult ReadersDon’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, 1997 Best Books for Young Adults, 2003 Popular PaperbacksRunning Out of Time, 1997 Best Books for Young Adults, 2004 Popular PaperbacksLeaving Fishers, 1998 Best Books for Young Adults, 2007 Popular Paperbacks

American Born Chinese, 2007 Best Books for Young Adults, 2007 Best Books for Young Adults Top Ten, 2007 Printz Award

Presenters

Presenters: please add a brief bio and a link to your web site here in alphabetical order.

Jerene Battisti is the Education and Teen Services Coordinator for the King County Library System located in the suburban Seattle , WA area. She is a member of the 2009 Best Books for Young Adults Committee and served as a member of the first Odyssey Award Committee. She has also served on Notable Books and many other YALSA and ALSC committees. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Washington’s iSchool teaching Public Library Services for Youth.

Mary Burkey is a National Board Certified Teacher-Librarian at Liberty Middle School in Columbus, Ohio. She writes Book Links Magazine’s audiobook column “Voices in My Head,” and reviews for Booklist and Horn Book. Burkey is the past chair of both ALSC’s Notable Children’s Recording Committee and ALA’s Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production committees. She blogs about audiobooks at http://audiobooker.blogspot.com

Liz Burns is the children's services librarian at the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped in Trenton, New Jersey, and is a member of the 2009 Michael L. Printz Committee. Her main interests outside the library include pop culture and blogging. You can read her thoughts and contributions at Pop Goes the Library, http://popgoesthelibrary.com, and her blog A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy, http://yzocaet.blogspot.com. A longtime fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she has a special interest in using pop culture and fandoms to reach more library users.

Peggy Burns

Tim Ditlow literally grew up in the recording industry. His parents founded Listening Library in 1955, and the company quickly established itself as one of the pioneers of unabridged recordings. Tim joined the company in 1979 and created a children’s publishing program that resulted in over 1,000 recordings by all the popular authors of the past 30 years, including Judy Blume, Madeleine L’Engle, Philip Pullman, and J.K. Rowling. This past spring Tim joined Brilliance Audio (an Amazon company) where he is launching a new children’s and young adult audio list. Tim lives in Westport, Connecticut with his wife Melissa Yurechko, a children’s librarian, and their young son Henry.

Stella Farris is a National Board Certified Teacher–Librarian from Lanier High School in Austin, Texas. She started her teaching career with pre-readers at an elite preschool in California, emergent readers at the elementary level, as well as struggling readers at middle, and high school levels. She also has extensive experience working with culturally diverse readers with varying levels of literacy and socio-economic backgrounds. Her interest has always been in the visual aspects of reading has evolved into the cultural implications of visual art and reading. She was chosen as a Japanese Fulbright Memorial Fund participant in 2007 to study the Japanese culture to assist her in developing her students’ understanding of manga books. Stella is a member of the AASL International Relations Task Force; named a 2008 ALA Emerging Leader and TALL Texan. She and her high school students created a "Munching on Manga," after school and lunch club.

Jane P. Fenn has been a librarian for the Corning NY school system for 25 years. She developed and teaches a course on children's and young adult literature for Mansfield University's NCATE-accredited online program certifying school librarians. She has been a frequent presenter at state and regional conferences on literacy, reading in content areas, collaboration, and other topics. She has published on school libraries and literacy in the high school in Principal Leadership and on school library collaboration with the physical education department in JOPERD and reviews audio fiction regularly for School Library Journal. She has served as an officer in regional professional organizations and as a public library trustee. Fostering reading for pleasure and for connections with curriculum has always been her key personal and professional interest.

Francisca Goldsmith's experience with teens and books includes service at public libraries, collaborative projects with schools, and library staff development. She's been working with audiobooks and teens for the past ten years, including projects with English learners, YALSA selection committee work, reviewing for professional journals, and membership on ALA's launch Odyssey Committee. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she is currently the Director of Branch Services for Halifax Public Libraries.

Sharon Grover has worked with teen readers and listeners for 15 years, as co-leader of a middle school reading group in Arlington, VA, and in her current position as Head of Youth Services at the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, WI. She has served on several YALSA and ALSC selection and award committees, including the inaugural Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. Grover has written about and presented workshops on evaluating audiobooks and integrating audiobooks with curriculum standards. She reviews for AudioFile and is instrumental in creating the popular AudioFile compilation, Audiobooks on the Go, a guide to summer listening for teens and families. Grover was a founding member and long-time editor of Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children, an annual recommended list that includes a section on Audiobooks Too Good to Miss.

Katherine Kellgren has appeared onstage in London, New York, and Frankfurt. Her recent work includes everything from the role of Laura in a regional production of The Glass Menagerie to appearances on Comedy Central. She has recorded over fifty audiobooks including Bloody Jack, which was named an Odyssey Honor Title by the American Library Association in 2008, and was a winner of an Audie Award, a Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, and ForeWord Magazine’s Audiobook of the Year. She is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Alfred C. Martino is the co-founder and president of Listen & Live Audio, an independent audiobook publishing company based out of New Jersey . With over 350 titles, Listen & Live Audio has published many notable adult, children’s and teen books, including L.A. Meyer’s “Bloody Jack” series, narrated by Katherine Kellgren – recipient of the 2008 Odyssey Honor. Since its inception in 1993, the company has won dozens of major audiobook awards, including 5 Audie Awards. Alfred is also a published author. In March 2005, Harcourt released Mr. Martino's debut novel, "Pinned." The novel was chosen as a Jr. Library Guild Selection and nominee for YALSA's list of 'Best Books For Young Adults' and ‘Popular Paperbacks For Young Adults.” His second novel, “Over The Endline,” will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt next June.

Jessica E. Moyer is a doctoral student in the Adolescent Literacy Education program at the University of Minnesota and an adjunct professor in the LIS program at the College of St. Catherine where she teaches Reference and online services, and Adult Readers' Advisory Services. Jessica is the author and editor of Research Based Readers' Advisory (ALA Editions, 2008, and was selected a 2008 Library Journal Mover and Shaker for her contributions to readers' advisory for all ages. Jessica will be presenting a multi media overview and discussion on research based readers' advisory for teens, combining the most recent education and LIS research on teen readers and reading. Handout, overview of presentation and additional resources are on the Research Based Readers' Advisory wiki, http://researchbasedra.pbwiki.com/FrontPage, [1].

Mitali Perkins (http://www.mitaliperkins.com), author of Monsoon Summer, the First Daughter books, Secret Keeper, and several other books for teens, was born in Kolkata, India and immigrated at age seven to the States with her family. She survived the stress of crossing borders thanks to a steady diet of books from America's public libraries. Mitali speaks frequently at schools, conferences, and libraries, and maintains Mitali’s Fire Escape (http://www.mitaliblog.com), a popular blog where she invites discussion about life between cultures. She has presented her workshop "Books Between Cultures," an engaging, thought-provoking exploration of race and ethnicity in children's and YA literature, at annual conventions hosted by AASL, PLA, TLA, and ALA.

Tom Philion, Associate Professor of Reading and Secondary Education at Roosevelt University, has been teaching young adult literature and secondary literacy education courses for the past 15 years. Beginning in March 2007, he started a research project and online blog aimed at uncovering what contemporary young adult literature has to say about the contemporary world. To find out more about this project, go to http://theageof.blogspot.com. Tom will present a paper on this project and his efforts to encourage teens to make text-to-world connections at the Young Adult Literature Symposium in Nashville. His website is http://faculty.roosevelt.edu/philion.

Daisy Porter is a Senior Librarian with San José Public Library, currently managing the West Valley Branch. Prior to her time at SJPL, Daisy worked as a youth services librarian at New Orleans Public Library's East New Orleans Regional Branch. She is a lifelong reader of young adult literature and a reviewer for Library Journal, School Library Journal, and ALA's GLBT Round Table Newsletter.

Ben Steiner, University of South Carolina recently completed his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. Prior to this time he was a Juvenile Probation Officer, worked in a Juvenile Detention Center, and a residential home for adolescents. His research interests include juvenile justice, prison systems and working with incarcerated youth. He has written numerous articles in the field of juvenile justice.

Stan Steiner, Professor and Chair of the Department of Literacy at Boise State University has been teaching Children's and Young Adult Literature for the past 15 years. Prior to that time he was a public school teacher who loved using a wide variety of literature in his classroom. His research interests are reading motivation, multicultural literature, infusing literature across the curriculum and raising social consciousness through CL/YA literature. He has published numerous numerous articles and some books with these interests in mind. You can find out more about his work at the following website: <http://education.boisestate.edu/stansteiner>

Carlie Webber is the Young Adult Services Librarian for the Bergen County Cooperative Library System in Hackensack, New Jersey. She is a reviewer of YA literature for Kirkus and VOYA. She serves on YALSA's Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Committee and the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award Committee. An active member of several online fandoms, she has presented on both library and fan-related topics at conferences including Phoenix Rising: A Harry Potter Symposium and Lumos!: A Harry Potter Symposium. Read her blog at http://blogs.bccls.org/carlie

Rollie Welch is the Collection Manager for Cleveland Public Library after serving many years as a teen librarian in Cleveland and other libraries. He is the author of The Guy-Friendly YA Library: Serving Male Teens from Libraries Unlimited and also writes YA book reviews for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He has served on the Quick Picks Committee and is currently the chair of BBYA 2009. For 4 years Rollie led a book discussion group for incarcerated teens and there he learned all about street lit. Rollie currently co-authors Library Journal's column, The Word on Street Lit, which is part of Library Journal's online newsletter, Booksmack.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/enewsletter/CA6605729/4683.html

Robin Whitten is the founder and editor of AudioFile, the magazine on audiobooks. Whitten coordinates the print and online publications of this unique audiobook information resource. In more than 100 consecutive issues published since 1992, AudioFile has chronicled the audiobook industry and all the changes that have taken place in the last 16 years. Since the very first issues of AudioFile--8 pages!--the reviews and information have been tailored to the interests of audio librarians. AudioFile reviewers include librarians -- some who have reviewed for the publication since the beginning. Whitten writes about audiobooks for national publications and speaks frequently at library conferences and other meetings about the audiobook industry. A current board member of the Audio Publishers Association (APA), Whitten received a Special Achievement Award from the APA for her contributions of “building awareness of audiobooks and fostering growth of the audiobook industry.” The New York Times hailed AudioFile as the 'standard bearer' of the audiobook industry. Whitten lives in Portland, Maine, where the magazine is based. In her spare time, she gardens, walks, and travels with her husband Rob and her 23-year old son Denny.

About Bill Morris - Who He Was and an Invitation to Share Your Own Memories of Him

A Short Biography of Bill Morris

A foundation stone of children's book publishing, William C. Morris worked at HarperCollins Children's Books for 50 years. He started out as a temp, became a salesman, and finally became the head of the advertising and library promotion department. Every inch of his office floor and desk space was filled with papers, files, books, and three overflowing rolodexes containing the names and phone numbers of every librarian, teacher, university professor, author and artist he knew. A legend in the industry, he never saw himself as a legend. Instead he saw himself as a middleman, a liaison between HarperCollins and the institutional world. The fact that he was aware of the tastes of every librarian he knew -- and he knew a thousand or more -- was something he just thought was part of his job. Bill loved his job.

Born in Eagle Pass, Texas, Bill's early education was in military school. Later he went to Rice University and then Duke University. Originally a pre-med student, he discovered his true love was literature, which was what he obtained his masters in. Bill's publishing career started off as Christmas help at the Doubleday Bookstore in Grand Central Station in New York City. After Christmas, he was asked to stay on but after a year, knowing his career wasn't working there, he left to take another temp job. His second temp job was at Harper Brothers, but it was here that he found his lifelong career. Bill went on to survive the many changes that occurred at Harper Brothers, which later became Harper & Row for many years, and ultimately became HarperCollins. He worked with such legendary editorial figures as Ursula Nordstrom and Charlotte Zolotow. He saw CEOs come and go and whole departments change, but Bill remained a mainstay, the custodian of Harper memories, and some even say its heart and soul. Among the many awards he won was the first ALSC Distinguished Service Award, and at every ALA for over a decade, Bill could be found proudly wearing the award pin on his lapel. It was impossible for Bill to separate his personal life from his work life because his work life was filled with the people he loved. When he died at the end of September 2003, he left behind a legion of friends.

His legacy also included a large estate, a good portion of which he left to more than one division within ALA. Funds from this estate are helping to make this Symposium possible, a fact Bill would have been very proud of, for young adult literature, young adult librarians, and young adult authors were very close to his heart.

We urge those of you who knew Bill to share your memories here. A larger than life figure, Bill was nevertheless a diminutive man with a quick wit and a sharp sense of humor whose one-liners were always hilarious. He loved to go out for a drink with fellow conference-goers and find hidden places to smoke with fellow smokers. Librarians will remember him as standing by the door of all the HarperCollins parties so that he could greet each and every one of the 500 plus people personally. He knew your names. He knew what authors you liked, what genres you preferred, and what books you had already read. When it came to the people he loved, he had the most amazing memory.

We now ask that you share your memories. Tell us what you remember most about Bill. A one-liner? A greeting? A funny story? A wicked story?

Many of the newer librarians never met Bill and don't know about him. We hope you'll help us tell them Bill's story. Tell us your memories....

Booklists of What We Are Reading Now

Tell us what YA books you are reading now and why:

I will be reading Breaking Dawn in about 8.5 hours. I just finished reading Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I really loved this book and have passed it on to many teens. I think the author really captured how desperate some teens feel and the constant pressure they are under.
Ann Marie Naples

I just finished John Green's Paper Towns, which I picked up as an ARC at ALA. I wanted to read this because I think Green represents the best in the new renaissance of YA literature. He writes what could be considered "problem novels" but manages to avoid stereotypes and is never didatic. I also love the way he writes male characters. Most of all, though, I can't think of another author who manages to so accurately capture the ACHE of being a teenager, that scary (and somehow exciting) feeling that your life is changing every second and taking you somewhere new. On top of that, he manages to capture that feeling in very well-written prose. I felt that most acutely in this book, which I think is the best one Green has yet written. There's a real palpable sense of loss AND connection here, and I think teenagers are going to *feel* that very deeply. I know I did. (Angie Manfredi)

I'm reading The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton. It's not technically a YA book but it was released recently by Penguin in the Great Books For Boys series and it was on display in the Children's section of my local bookstore. It's positively preposterous! It's a funny and dangerous tale about undercover police officers, terrorism, and anarchist plots. It's phenomenal so far. I can't believe I've never read it before! (E)

I'm reading Carpe Diem, by Autumn Cornwell. It is a story about a girl who has her entire life planned minute to minute. She receives a plane ticket to Malasia from her estranged grandmother, and all plans go out the window. I like it so far, though the character is a bit too sophisticated for a 16 year old. Yet it takes place over summer vacation, which I am especially excited about. (mfrench)

I’m currently reading Taken by Edward Bloor, a book set in the future and about kidnapping becoming a major industry with its own rules of conduct. The concept is an interesting one and so far I’m hooked…. (Catherine Balkin)

I'm currently re-reading The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, which was a book first published when I was in junior high school that I absolutely loved and it's been re-released so I just had to read it again. It's a great vampire romance with just the right amount of horror/suspense. I just finished Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher- which is an amazing book that I am recommending to everyone (adults and teens). It is one of those that I just could not put down from the moment I started it, very thought provoking. I've also got the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians book (The Battle of the Labyrinth) by Rick Riordan and The Host by Stephenie Meyer calling my name... so much to read, so little time!!!! (Alissa Lauzon)

Right now I am reading (listening!) to The Time Thief by Linda Buckley-Archer. It is excellent, but I had to take a break for the new Percy Jackson book. If you haven't read the series, get them! They are amazing. And probably like Alissa above be I am awaiting Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final novel in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, with bated breath. There is definitely no shortage of good books to read. (Jennifer Finch)

I'm reading "Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen, partly because she's a "local girl" from NC but mostly because her work is so popular with my students. Apologies to Ms. Dessen, but I don't think this is her best -- "Someone Like You" was better for me. But it certainly makes one ponder about choices & consequences, & what too many women may endure in turbulent relationships. Might try her newest, "Lock & Key" -- but first, Stephenie Meyer! I agree with Jennifer -- never a shortage of good books to read! (Laura Williams)

I just finished Epic and Saga by Conor Kostick and am now reading Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole. I really enjoyed Kostick's novels, but am a bit disappointed in Dole's, though I'm willing to stick it out. It's rare enough to find a novel with teen lesbians as the main characters, but rarer still for both the author and the characters to be people of color. (Sam Harris)

I'm reading anything but Stephenie Meyer and John Green. Oddly enough, there are teens in my service population who couldn't care less about either of these authors. (Em W)

I have been reading Deathnote. Definitely addictive. (Wendy Stephens)

I just read "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and thought it was GREAT!!! I loved her Gregor The Overlander series but Hunger Games is for older teens. It's one of many post-apocalyptic sci fi novels but it was definitely a cut above. The characters were really well drawn and the games were sufficiently creepy, dangerous, fight-to-the-death exciting. Think ancient Roman death match meets Survivor. Laura, you should definitely try Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen...it was one of my favorites of hers!!! Donna Knott

I'm re-reading "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian" by Sherman Alexie and "Olive's Ocean" by Kevin Henke. We are going to talk about the Alexie book at our high school book group overnight retreat when I get back from Nashville. I think Alexie's description of fitting in and not fitting into both reservation life and the white school can really speak to teens. He's funny, too, which is hard to pull off authentically... Olive's Ocean is beautiful and a great bridge book I feel, for tweens into core YA literature...(Ellen Snoeyenbos)

Best YA stuff I’ve read in the last year… Fantasy: John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice: The Icebound Land which is a great series if you like your Fantasy gritty and flavored with pseudo-history a’la Bernard Cornwell or George R. R. Martin. This installment, besides being top notch High Fantasy, also grapples with the problem of addiction in a very non-After School Special fashion. Graphic Novels: Planet Hulk/World War Hulk Series. In Planet Hulk, set during Marvel’s Civil War arc, the great heroes of Earth decide the Hulk has caused too much collateral damage for too long and so trap him and shoot him towards a peaceful uninhabited planet… but of course he crash lands instead on a savage planet of Heavy Metal-esque aliens which he needs to conquer to find true peace and contentment at long last. That peace is short lived, in true “Hulk the Tragic Hero” style and the World War Hulk titles find the green behemoth returning to Earth to seek revenge against the so called heroes who sent him on his odyssey in the first place. ~Craig Bertuglia

I've just finished (a few weeks ago) the City of Bones and City of Ashes trilogy by Cassandra Clare. I can hardly wait for the 3rd book due out early next year. I've also read Ink Exchange, a sorta sequel to Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. I loved Wicked Lovely but Ink Exchange, well, it wasn't one of my favorites and got confusing and contridictory in a couple of places. I read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer in both my in-library book club and my school book club and I'll have to say those kids were really smart to pick up on the 'dys' in the funtioning of the relationships in the book *grins* - Carol Erkens

Recently, I've been really impressed by The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation. Volume One. The Pox Party. It's an extraordinary read. I've been calling it "the anti-Johnny Tremain", not that there's anything wrong with Johnny Tremain, of course. Other faves include Un Lun Dun by China Miéville, anything that comes out of Firebird Books, Dogland by Will Shetterly, and many more. --Karl G. Siewert

How We Read Now is the theme of the Symposium: A Discussion of What This Theme Means to Us

We invite you to share your thoughts and feelings about this theme. What does it mean to your library? Your patrons? Yourself?

Many teen patrons are reading on the computer - not books necessarily but for information and fun. Definitely a shift from 10 years ago. YA books, especially graphic novels, are the highest circulating items in the library during some months. Money in the budget has been reallocated to meet this need. Overstuff shelves - with so many new, great books being published, it's difficult to find room and hard to weed classics. I love telling other adults titles of great YA books, especially those they can read with their teens or will just appreciate for their content. After reading so many YA books, it's hard to pick up an adult book and enjoy it. I expect fast paced stories, in depth characters, and great subplots that make you think. It's hard to find adult books that can do all that in under 200 pages. (Andrea Purdy)

I agree with Andrea. A new form of reading and writing is fanfiction on line. Teens have always had the tendency to read one series or one genre. This opens up a new format for them to read further into a series that is over. The YA literature that is available is so much more diverse then it was even ten years ago with the influx of Japanese Manga, the increase in readership (due in large part to JK Rowling...), and the way that publishers are now viewing teen lit as a major market. Even adult authors are getting into the act, discovering how large it truly is. This means a larger selection of titles that will appeal to a larger group of teens. Manga and other graphic novels do not look nearly as scary to a normaly non-reader as Shakespearian plays due. This new availability allows for educators and librarians to reach teens that were never available before. For me this means a career path. I love Teen lit and I love working with teens. Thanks to the new appreciation for the need for Teen Specialists, I will be able to find a job in the field I love when I do get my Master's degree. (Jennifer Finch)

I'm a little concerned about this theme, honestly. Who are "we"? Does it matter how librarians and authors serving teens read? Or should we be asking how teens read now? (Em W)

Of course we should be asking how teens read now but, as librarians, we are purveyors of literature and as such, it matters very much what and how we read. We should read the things that we know they read (fan fiction, Manga, graphic novels, etc.) but also full-length novels. It's important that we model reading for them and get excited when we describe books or do booktalks. I have at least 3 or 4 teens a day (sometimes more) coming in to find good books and they always come to me because they know that I read all the time (at lunch, walking in the halls, etc.). It's also important that authors read because if they don't, they won't know what's important or popular with teens. They need to be able to read what teen write, as well, so that their own writing can be authentic and not condescending or out of touch. (Donna Knott)

A Booklist of Everyone’s Favorite YA books of All Time

We invite you to list your favorite YA books of all time and maybe even give a reason or two.

The Effects of Gamma Rays On Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel. Okay, it was a play, but I read, re-read, and re-re-read it when I was 12 or 13 and I thought it changed my life forever. And maybe it did because 25 years later found me actually working with Paul Zindel... (Catherine Balkin)

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I read them so many times when I was younger that my copies are held together with rubber bands. There is just something about those books that even now I can't read them without crying. (Alissa Lauzon)

Harry Potter of course by JK Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, WJuliet by Emura, Marmalade Boy by Wataru Yoshizumi, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix, Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer, Remember Me trilogy by Christopher Pike, Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo, Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements, Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo, Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya, Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP. These are all wonderful books, and the only common among all of them are wonderfully developed characters. Many are fantasy, but some are just comedic highschool dramas. I could probably list a hundred more. I could no sooner pick a favorite book then I could a favorite star in the sky.(Jennifer Finch)

My two favorite YA books of all time are Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. I continue to reread them, year after year. They both introduced me to long ago times using strong heroines. Whenever I moved to a new school, they were the first 2 books that I would look for in the library.(Becky Jackman)

So hard to pick favorites when there are so many good books, but I might choose the Uglies/Pretties/Specials/Extras books by Scott Westerfeld. They are good, provocative sci-fi, with great characters & fascinating twists. I couldn't put them down. I love Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card as well (so prescient), & "Looking for Alaska" by John Green for its powerful story, intriguing characters & artful writing, & Green's "An Abundance of Katherines" because it's hilarious! (Laura Williams)

Lurlene McDaniel is my favorite teen author. (Yu Chen)

I usually hate it when I'm asked to pick my favorites, probably because I'm horrible at coming up with titles and authors on the spot. But, if given a little time to consider, I enjoy remembering some of the books I continue to love reading or recommending again and again. I absolutely love Whale Talk and pretty much anything ever written by Chris Crutcher. Julie Anne Peters' Far from Xanadu and Luna are also at the top of my list. My newest favorite is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It's a fabulous book for both kids and adults as well as a great recommendation for reluctant or struggling readers. (Sam Harris)

My favorites are usually what other people aren't reading. (Em W)

Current favorites: Cathy’s Book by Sean Stewart et al., Looking for Alaska by John Green (fellow Alabamaian), I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak, Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks, Lady, my Life as a Dog by Melvin Burgess, Tithe by Holly Black, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Acceleration by Graham McNamee, The Shell House by Linda Newberry, A Hero Ain’t Nothing but a Sandwich by Alice Childress, Who am I without him? By Sharon Flake. Three classics: It’s Okay if You Don’t Love Me by Norma Klein, Forever by Judy Blume, and My Darling Villain by Lynne Reid Banks (Wendy Stephens)

I love Chris Crutcher and think Deadline is one of his best. I think Meg Cabot is a genius and Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steve Chbosky continues to blow teens minds in each mini-generation of readers I get. Dunk and Sleeping Freshmen by David Lubar are phenomenal. I am finding that recently, the guys in my book group are getting far more willing to read books that would traditionally be only marketed to girls: the Twilight series and the Uglies for example. Looking for Alaska by John Green has been a huge hit as well as Hero by Perry Moore. My teens want escapism but also books that challenge preconceived notions. I wonder whether the online reading they are doing enhances their book reading. None of them want to give up either format. (Ellen S.)

I’m going to cover Graphic Novels, since they've only been mentioned in passing thus far. There are a lot of Graphic Novels you have to have in a good collection… Alan Moore’s Watchmen, Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s Akira to name but a few… yet none of these are really YA titles (although Akira comes closest). In my decades of geekdom the best YA Graphic Novels/Series I’ve come across that are truly YA in flavor and actually check out like gangbusters are Marvel Comics’ Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Tokyopop’s Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. The reason they are both so popular is because they both deal with the triumphs, tragedies, and foibles of teens being teens in an honest and in touch fashion within the greater framework of Otaku culture in the case of Fruits Basket and the super hero milieu in the case of Runaways. ~Craig Bertuglia

My all-time favorites go back a ways, and many of them are in J Fiction at our library. The Dark Is Rising, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Chronicles of Narnia are faves from my formative tween years. Gary Paulsen was also very important to me. I was fortunate enough to have Mike Printz as my librarian in high school, so I got to read Hatchet in galley print, and I met Gary at the book launch party for The Island. (Karl G. Siewert)

Arrange a Meeting with your Friends and Colleagues

Attendees, please feel free to use this category to organize your own schedules. Example: To all my friends, this is Rhett Butler and I’ll be at the bar during the Authors’ Happy Hour on Saturday if you want to find me."

I'm bringing my ukulele if anyone else plans on bringing some sort of musical instrument and wants to play.

Does anyone want to go for a run about 6:30 am Friday or Saturday morning? Email me if you want to make a plan! lisacd5@gmail.com

Attendees if you are not able to go on Friday, I would love to buy your ticket from you. Please email me at katherinef@battlegroundacademy.org. I live in the Nashville area.

I'll have my knitting with me. If you see a guy working on a pair of red, white, and blue sleeves, that'll be me. If anyone's planning to check out local yarn stores, let me know. I'd love to tag along! --Karl G. Siewert (yoyology@gmail.com)

The Authors’ and Presenters’ Greeting Category

This section is for authors and presenters who might want to say a word or two to the attendees before going to the Symposium.
Feel free to share information about your upcoming books as well as your backlist titles.

Share Ideas for Future YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium

We invite attendees, presenters, authors, publishers -- everyone -- to share your ideas for programs for the next Symposium.

How about a panel discussion on how to handle controversial books? (Catherine Balkin)

Reaching out to readers (not necessarily "reluctant") who don't or don't often use the library. Identify those barriers to usage and knock them down.

A panel discussion on how to use the literature to draw in teens from authors, librarians, and teachers alike would be nice. (Jennifer Finch)

Discussion of books and authors that are critically acclaimed but we can't get teens to read.

I agree with Catherine, dealing with controversial books in conservative areas are a major consern for YA librarians - my director made me move 'How They Met and Other Stories' because one patron complained that it would turn readers into "juvenile delinquents" and because she(my director) would feel uncomfortable if her teenage son read it.(khilinski)

I would love to present on Australia's (and maybe New Zealand's, too)incredible contributions in recent years to YA lit. I mean, Markus Zusak, Margo Lanahan, Sonya Hartnett--WOW. I also agree that I'd love to see a presentation on controversial books--not from the authors' point of view, but from the viewpoint of us library people on the front lines (which is how it feels sometimes). I am so looking forward to the weekend!!!

how about a panel on school/public library collaboration? i'd be willing to co-present with the awesome teen services librarians from the san francisco public library if some other school/pub pairs would join us... anna koval =)

I would love to see an exhibit hall with vendors and authors offering information and samples of products/books librarians would find useful. At the Nat'l Conference for Teachers of English, the exhibit hall is always a wonderful resource. Also, I would have liked to be able to buy books by some of the authors in attendance.

On a related note, the ARC giveaways at the conference brought out the worst in some. It was pretty sad to see the greed and selfishness. Perhaps each registration mailing (with name badge & tickets) could include tickets or vouchers for galleys? Give each librarian 5 or 10, and they could exchange those tickets for books.

Online Social Networking at YALSA Lit Symposium

Enrich your lit symposium conference experience with backchannels. I will be using the hashtag #yalsalit08 for twitter and yalsalit08 for flickr. What other applications will you be using to share? Let us know here. -- Wendy Stephens (twitter wsstephens)

I'll be twittering sporadically (http://twitter.com/yoyology) and those same updates will go to my Facebook status. I'll probably post a daily recap to my blog (http://yoyotxt.blogspot.com) as well. I hope to meet a lot of new people and have a great time! -- Karl G. Siewert